Centimeter-wave microstrip phase shifter on a ferrite-dielectric substrate

The propagation characteristics and fields of a microstrip transmission line on a composite ferrite-dielectric substrate are studied with a focus on its phase-shifting behavior. Two different methods are used for theoretical analysis, namely, the least-squares boundary residual method, which offers high precision, and a variational method in the spectral domain which requires a low computing time. Quasi-TEM (transverse electromagnetic) propagation is assumed in both cases. The results obtained are compared to experimental data, and good agreement is observed. Besides its easy design, this phase shifter presents the advantage of having a good peak power handling capacity as well as a low production cost because of the ease with which it can be integrated in planar systems.<>